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SKIING'S BEST FRIEND

Just a few days after the close of the big Denver ski show he puts on, I metBernie Weichsel, the man behind the annual Boston ski show, for fancycoffee and a conversation in Boston's Financial District.

After some pleasantries and a brief chat about hybrid vehicles, Weichsel'sface lit right up and he smiled as we shifted to talking about skiing. That'sexactly what he loves about both skiing and his show, which will beThursday through Sunday (Nov. 14-17) at the Seaport World Trade Center— the smiles on the faces of its participants.

He's in his 52nd year of promoting skiing in one way or another, and theupcoming expo will be the 38th he's put on in Boston. It's natural, given hislongevity and success in the business, to inquire about how much he's seenthe sport change. He admits there has been plenty of change, but thenoffers a counterpoint.

“More important is what hasn’t changed," he said. "Did you ever notice thatwhen you get on the mountain, it’s still you and the mountain. I don’t knowany other sport or activity that really the best way to measure is on smiles.It’s the beauty of the sport.”

One major change has been the rapid rise of the multi-resort pass, whichWeichsel has mixed feelings about, and not just because Vail, which offersthe Epic Pass, will not have the resorts it owns represented at the Bostonshow.

"On one level, these multi-area passes are fantastic for the existing skier.Great value, you can’t go wrong. I buy both," he said. "But I don’t think itdoes anything to grow the sport because if you’ve never skied, you don’tcare for the cheap season passes. It’s still six, seven, eight, nine hundreddollars. What the sport has to do is promote more of the smaller local areasthat still have very good value. The perception of skiing is an elitist,expensive sport, and on one level it is, but on many levels it is not."

Those smaller areas are near-and-dear to Weichsel, and his goal is to skievery resort in the United States.

“I won’t get to that, but I’ll probably get closer than most people. I’mprobably – I haven’t added it recently – at 250 different areas I’ve skied,maybe 300 around the world. There are about 400-500 in this country, but Ilove the smaller ski areas, and each year I do one or two new ones," hesaid.

He's often asked what is his favorite ski area, and the answer is the same:wherever he's currently skiing or about to go next.

Before that next trip, though, the business at hand is to ramp up theanticipation for the coming ski season through the show. He can often beseen wandering the floor on any of the days of the show, chatting withguests, and taking it all in.

Especially the smiles.

Click here to visit the Boston Ski & Snowboard Expo discounted ticket page. 

CLICKING IN

CHILL OUT: The Boston Globe's annual winter travel section, Chill, cameout in print Sunday and I wanted to wait to send this newsletter to includelinks to the stories. Chris Morris, the Globe's food and travel editor, does asuperb job every year producing this for both online and print, and it's anhonor to be able to contribute.

This year, I asked around about favorite New England downhill trails and gotsome great responses from snowboarders and skiers like Jake Burton andMikaela Shiffrin, the guys who founded the Ski the East apparel and mediacompany and the woman behind the creative The Ski Diva website, WendyClinch.

I didn't include my own favorite in the finished piece because I wanted touse all the space allotted for all the responses to my inquiries. But I'dprobably go with Speakeasy at Loon, with Freewheeler at Ski Butternut andLollapalooza at Sunday River right behind.

Other Chill headlines:-- A girls-only weekend in Breckenridge, Colorado-- Women's-only ski programs in New England-- Was last season the best ever?-- Resolutions for this ski season from some of New England's most avidskiers-- A beginner's guide to cross-country skiing-- Vail Resorts scoops up more New England mountains, and the move

could be epic for local skiers and riders-- Gear suggestions: Stay warm from head to toe

INTERESTING INSIGHT: The chief executive officer of Alterra MountainCo., Rusty Gregory, gave Bloomberg a one-on-one interview and discusseda range of topics from his perspective as the leader of one of the biggestfirms in the ski industry today. Alterra is in the multi-resort pass businesswith its Ikon Pass, and operates 14 ski areas, including Stratton in Vermont.Watch the 15-minute Q&A here.

FOR THE RECORD: In the last edition of the newsletter, I spelled the nameof Smugglers' Notch incorrectly twice. Argh.

GOOD LUCK: Colleague Eric Wilbur was recently named editor of NewEngland Ski Journal's website, and it's a fine choice. Wilbur knows his stuffwhen it comes to both skiing and digital journalism, and I'm eager to seewhere he takes it in this new venture.

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